Lamp socket



Jan. 12, 1965 s. c. LAUB, SR 3,165,370

LAMP SOCKET Filed Jan. 7, 1965 v Samuel Cleve/and Laub, Sr: IN VE NTOR.

E 7 BY United States Patent Ofifice 3,155,379 Patented Jan. 12, 1965 3,165,370 LAMP SOCKET Samuel Cleveland Laub, Sr., 3008 23rd Ave. 5., Nashville, Tenn. Filed Jan. 7, 1963, Ser. No. 249,669 3 Claims. (Cl. 339-73) This invention relates generally to an article of manufacture and more particularly, to a novel lamp socket adapted to be used with conventional light bulbs.

In brief, the invention comprises an electric light socket including means to facilitate the mounting of a conventional incandescent light bulb Within the socket. Heretofore, one had to insert and align the light bulb with a cylindrical threaded member and thread a portion of said incandescent bulb upon threads formed within the cylindrical socket element. This usually was a timeconsuming and newe-racking procedure inasmuch as the threads on the bulb and in the socket had to be exactly aligned before one could thread the bulb within the socket. If the threads were not exactly aligned there was a good possibility of stripping the threads either on the bulb or within the socket element thus causing the destruction of either member. The present invention however, contemplates that a light bulb may be pushed into a light socket and tightened with approximately only a half turn of the bulb. Furthermore, the present invention contemplates tight engagement between the threaded portion of a conventional incandescent light bulb and the socket element into which it is threaded. This tight engagement insures proper contacting of the bulb with a source of electrical energy and reduces the probability of a poor connection which will produce the annoyance of a flickering light bulb in that any loose engagement of the light bulb within the socket element will usually make-and-break contact with the bulb causing the incandescent filament thereof to alternately glow and not glow over a certain time interval.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a light socket of the character indicated which will allow a conventional incandescent light bulb to be pushed into the light socket and tightened with only a half turn of the bulb which greatly facilitates the mounting of a light bulb within a light socket.

Another object of this invention is to provide a light socket of the character indicated, wherein once the light bulb is mounted within the socket a tight engagement is provided between the light bulb and suitable contact elements mounted within the socket.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a device which is easy to manufacture, requires a minimum number of parts and is simple and efficient in use.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the electrical lanm socket comprising the subject matter of the present in vention.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the electrical lamp socket further illustrating a conventional incandescent light bulb mounted therein.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing the threaded element of a conventional incandescent light bulb in tight engagement with the light socket of the present invention and making contact with contact elements for supplying electricalenergy to the light bulb.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, the socket may form part of a lamp structure to which the socket element may be applied. The base 12 is formed of any suitable insulating material such as is well known in the prior art and mounts a cylindrical member 14 thereon. The cylindrical member 14 has an open end designated by the reference numeral 16 for the reception of a conventional incandescent light bulb 18 having aathreaded base 20. The cylindrical member 14 also comprises a cylindrical wall 22 which has a depending flexible extension such as indicated at 24 which is received within a longitudinally extending slot such as 26 cut in the base 12. The depending strip 24 is attached to the base member 12 by means of a screw 28. It should thus be apparent that the depending member 24 mounts the cylindrical member 14 upon the base and may also serve as a contact element for the incandescent lamp inasmuch as suitable electrical connectors may be disposed between the screw 28 and depending strip 24 thus connecting said strip and the cylindrical member 14 to a suitable source of electrical energy.

Cut from the cylindrical wall 22 are a pair of resilient locking members 30 and 32. The members 30 and 32 are cut from the cylindrical wall 22 and are hingedly connected thereto as shown at 34 and slightly converge away from the open end 16 of the member 14. The

members 30 and 32 are threaded as indicated at 36 and these threads are adapted to mate with the threaded base 20 of the incandescent lamp 18 when the same is disposed within the socket.

Mounted diametrically opposite from the depending portion 24 is a second contact element 38 mounted upon the insulating base 12 by means of a screw member 40. The contact element 38 has a portion 42 adapted to extend through the aperture 44 disposed in the cylindrical wall 22 and underlie a portion of the threaded base 20 of the incandescent lamp. It should be also apparent that suitable electrical connector means may be disposed between the contact element 38 and screw 40 for connecting the contact element to a suitable source of electrical energy. The contact element 38 may be laterally adjusted upon the insulating and mounting base 12 by means of a slot such as shown at 46 allowing slight lateral movement of the contact element 38 by repositioning the screw within said slot.

Referring now to FIGURES 3 and 4 in particular wherein the use of the instant invention is illustrated, it will be seen that the open end 16 of the cylindrical member 14 is slightly greater in diameter than the external threads on the incandescent lamp base 20. The base member 20 is inserted within the cylindrical member 14 and is pushed downwardly until it contacts the converging members 30 and 32. Upon further downward movement the resiliency of the elements 30, 32 will cause them to spread outwardly about hinges 34 and allow the threaded base 20 to be further disposed within the cylindrical member 14. A position will be reached whereupon the elements 30, 32 cannot be urged any further outwardly whereupon the incandescent lamp 18 may be tightened by merely engaging the threads on the base 20 with the mating threads 36 on the elements 30, 32 by rotating the bulb only a half turn to a position as shown in FIGURE 4 whereupon the bulb will contact the element. The resiliency of the elements 30, 32 which have been spread outwardly will tend to urge the elements 30, 32 back to their initial unstretched position thereby firmly clamping the threaded base 20 therebetween and solidly holding it in position. Since the threaded element 20 has been threaded upon the members 36, 32 it can only be removed by unscrewing the bulb by turning it in an opposite direction to that in which it was initially turned to therefore release the threads 20 and 36 from mating engagement.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation showna'nd described, and accordingly'all suitable modifications and, equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

'What is claimed as new is as follows:

7 l. Anelectrical socket for reception of a threaded cy- I lindrical base member, said socket comprising a base of insulating material, an upstanding cylindrical member mounted upon said base-and having an open upper end, said cylindrical member having a smooth'cylindrical inner'sur'face and being adapted to telescopically and snuglyseatingly receive'said threaded base member therein upon axial displacement of said threaded base member into'the open' end of said' cylindrical member, a pair of electrical contact elements'cooperating with said cylindrical member and saidbase for supplying electrical energythereto, said cylindrical member having a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings formed therein spaced below the upper end thereof and includingaplurality of integral partial cylindrical resilient elements-dependingly supported from the portions of said-cylindrical member defining the upper extremities of Saidcpenings and spacbd'slightly-frorh the'ppposhe side and bottom edges of said openings, 'said' resilient elements being slightly inwardly convergent at their'lower ends; forming contintia'tions of the adjacent portions' of'saidcylindrical member, and eachincluding-means-on-at leastthe lower end portionsthe'reof defining inwardly projecting verticaltion independently of rotation of said base member relative to said socket and to be inadequate, independently of said lowermost thread segments, to" provide said sufiicient resistance. I I

'2. The electrical socket of claim 1 wherein one of said electrical contact elements is a depending extensiort'of said cylindrical walliand mounts the cylindrical "member upon said base.

3. The electrical socket of claim 2 wherein the other of said electrical contact elements is mounted upon said base and 'is'dis po'sed within said cylindrical member'for contacting said threaded elements, said electricalcontact element passing through an aperture formed in said 'cylin'dricalme'mber'. I

I References Cited in the file of-this patent 4 l UNITED STATES PATENTS v1,145,717 Thomas July 6, 1915 1,327,496 Snider- Jan. -6, 1920 1,790,239. Lawson Jam-27, 1931 1,796,120 O1ley -Mar. 10, 1931 2,071,769- Schlicker et a1 Feb. 2-3,-19.37

1,181,050 -Evans -Nov..21, 1939 

1. AN ELECTRICAL SOCKET FOR RECEPTION OF A THREADED CYLINDRICAL BASE MEMBER, SAID SOCKET COMPRISING A BASE OF INSULATING MATERIAL, AN UPSTANDING CLYINDRICAL MEMBER MOUNTED UPON SAID BASE AND HAVING AN OPEN UPPER END, SAID CLYINDRICAL MEMBER HAVING AN SMOOTH CYLINDRICAL INNER SURFACE AND BEING ADAPTED TO TELESCOPICALLY AND SNUGLY SEATINGLY RECEIVE AND THREADED BASE MEMBER THEREIN UPON AXIAL DISPLACEMENT OF SAID THREADED BASE MEMBER INTO THE OPEN END OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER; A PAIR OF ELECTRICAL CONTACT ELEMENTS COOPERATING WITH SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER AND SAID BASE FOR SUPPORTING ELECTRICL ENERGY THERETO, SAID CYLINDRICA MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED OPENINGS FORMED THEREIN SPACED BELOW THE UPPER END THEREOF AND INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF INTEGRAL PARTIAL CYLINDRICL RESILIENT ELEMENTS DEPENDINGLY SUPPORTED FROM THE PORTIONSOF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER DEFINING THE UPPER EXTREMITIES OF SAID OPENING AND SPACED SLIGHTLY FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDE AND BOTTOM EDGES OF SAID OPENINGS, SAID RESILIENT ELEMENTS BEING SLIGHTLY INWARDLY CONVERGENT AT THEIR LOWER ENDS, FORMING CONTINUATIONS OF THE ADJACENT PORTIONS OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, AND ECH INCLUDING MEANS ON AT LEAST THE LOWER END PORTIONS THEREOF DEFINING INWARDLY PROJECTING VERTICALLY SPACED THREAD SEGMENTS, THE THREAD SEGMENTS ON SAID RESILIENT ELEMENTS COACTING TO DEFINE A PLURALITY OF CONVOLUTIONS OF THREADS AT THE LOWER END OF SAID SOCKET, SAID THREAD SEGMENTS, INCLUDING THE LOWERMOST THREAD SEGMENTS, BEING ADAPTED TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT RESISTANCE, UPON ENGAGEMENT WITH THE THREADS ON SAID CYLINDRICAL BASE MEMBER TO PREVENT AXIAL INSERTION OF SAID BASE MEMBER INTO A FULLY SEATED POSITION IN SAID SOCKET AND AXIAL WITHDRAWAL OF SAID BASE MEMBER FROM SAID FULLY SEATED POSITION INDEPENDENTLY OF ROTATION OF SAID BASE MEMBER RELATIVE TO SAID SOCKET AND TO BE INADAQUATE, INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID LOWERMOST THREAD SEGMENTS, TO PROVIDE SAID SUFFICIENT RESISTANCE. 